Kristen Giesting
Otterbein University
My roommate has a bottle of Febreze in the room, which I was never too thrilled about.
After reading about it on EWG’s cleaning product database, I’m even less thrilled. I don’t
know my roommate too well, so talking to her about tossing this product would be
tough. I’ll have to think about that, and come up with some possible alternatives if she
really thinks it’s a must have item. Ingredients (at least the ones that have been
published): Sodium polyacrylate, fragrance, Benzisothiazolinone, Dialkyl sulfosuccinates,
Cyclodextrin, ethanol, hydrogenated castor oil, alcohol denatured, sodium hydroxide,
water, nitrogen, and sodium citrate. The EWG website says to avoid air fresheners
because they can cause allergies. Several of the ingredients are also listed as moderate
concerns for skin and respiratory effects, as well as being toxic to aquatic life. All that
for a bottle that makes our room smell exactly the same as it did before? It’s definitely
NOT worth it. http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/1656FebrezeAirEffectsExtraStrengthCleanCitrus
I use Kleenex whenever I have a cold. All I could find about
their contents online is that they are made from 100% virgin
fiber and they have an “additive” to make them stronger (and
the Kleenex website says to throw them away rather than let
them biodegrade because of this). I couldn’t find anywhere
what this additive might be… Also, the Kleenexes are bright
white. It makes me wonder what sort of bleaching practices
they might use…. I remember from an earlier challenge that
chlorine bleaching is NOT good because it creates dioxins. I thought chopping down forests to make
single use tissues was bad enough! Here’s Natracare’s website with the info on chlorine bleaching:
http://www.natracare.com/p113/en-GB/Your-Health/Chlorine-bleaching.aspx
I spend a lot of time in the research lab at school because I’m working on an environmental
microbiology project studying triclosan in a stream. The next three items can all be found in the science
center.
When I first started working in the lab, I used this soap (Bac
Down) pretty much without thinking. My research project
deals with triclosan, which is a common chemical found in
antimicrobial soaps. So, it wasn’t too long before I noticed the
little label stating the triclosan content. Of course, having
read numerous articles about triclosan at that point, I realized
I didn’t want to use that soap anymore! I already know a bit
about its hazards to humans, so I decided to look up some
new info: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/soapingredient-triclosan-linked-muscleweakness/story?id=16996695#.UINwrMUnEig This study
shows that triclosan exposure causes muscle weakness in
animals; that’s something I hadn’t heard before!
Here is the soap used in the bathrooms all over campus.
The Bac Down soap (above) is a special soap meant for
hospitals and labs. However, a lot of soaps that the
avergae person uses also contain triclosan, even though
regular soap kills germs just fine. I was curious to know if
this normal soap also contains triclosan. I did an internet
search, but couldn’t find an ingredient list. I’m betting it
contains triclosan since it says, “antibacterial” on the label.
I emailed the manager of the custodial service (ABM )a
few days ago to ask for a list of the cleaning products used
as school. They sent me the info on what sustainability
initiatives they have: http://www.abm.com/WhyABM/GreenCare-Program/Pages/SustainabilityCommitment.aspx and said they’ll send me a list of items
next week.
I wear these vinyl gloves in the lab to protect myself from toxic or harsh
chemicals that I work with. Today I started wondering if the vinyl in the
gloves could be hazardous as well. Based on this New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/dining/14glov.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0, the vinyl gloves
contain Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate which is considered a carcinogen. I also found that its an endocrine
disruptor: http://healthrevelations.com/tag/dhep/ Unfortunately, I think its better that I wear these
gloves than risk spilling something worse on my skin. I know gloves come in other materials; maybe
nitrile is something to look into.
The alternatives:
An alternative to febreze: Nothing! I don’t think this product is
really necessary if you keep your house/room clean otherwise. If you
want a nice smell then cut some flowers or bring in some pine
needles.
For kleenexes: 100% organic cotton reusable handkerchiefs. Found at
http://www.abesmarket.com
For both of the soaps: any organic, non-toxic liquid soap. There are
TONS of options. My favorite is Dr. Bronner’s castile
soap. The tea tree variety has naturally antiseptic
properties.
For the gloves: unfortunately, any plastic disposable glove is probably going to
contain something which isn’t great. I’ll have to limit my exposure and use the
gloves only when really necessary.
After this challenge I will start looking at my surroundings more! Toxins can be in anything!